Machines for shaping uppers over lasts



Feb. 9, 1965 R. c. QUARMBY 3,168,752

MACHINES FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Jan. 29, 1963 4 Sheets-$heet 1 Feb. 9, 1965 R. c. QUARMBY 3,168,752

MACHINES FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Jan. 29, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9, 1965 R. c. QUARMBY MACHINES FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 29, 1963 Feb. 9, 1965 R. c. QUARMBY 3,168,752

MACHINES FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Jan. 29, 1963 4 Shets-$heet 4 United States Patent Oilce 3,168,752 MACHENES FR SHAPHNG UPPERS (WER LASTS Robert C. Quarmby, Leicester, England, assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 254,690 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 17, 1962, 6,217/ 62 6 Claims. (C1. 11E-10.1)

This invention relates to machines for shapinguppers over lasts and is more particularly concerned with 1mprovements to machines of the general type described in United States Letters Patent No. 3,099,846.v Such machines are particularly suitable for use in the lasting of shoe uppers which have not been previously subjected to a pulling over operation.

The machine disclosed in said patent has means for supporting a last in position for the shaping of an upper thereover and a plurality of grippers for pulling the upper in different locations around the forepart and toe portions of the last, power operated means being provided for effecting tensioning of the upper as a result of relative heightwise movement between the grippers and the means for supporting the last. The machine also is provided with toe embracing forepart wipers for wiping the lasting margin of the upper inwardly over the bottom of the toe and forepart portions of an insole on the last, and a pair of ball lasting units arranged to last the upper at opposite sides of the ball portion of the shoe. During the operation of the toe and forepart grippers and wipers, the last is held against movement in a heelward direction by means of a heel rest arranged to engage the upper at the heel end of the last and adapted also to locate the heel end of the last laterally in the machine. The last is further supported against heightwise movement, while the wipers are performing their inwiping operation, by

means of a toe rest arranged to engage the upper at the toe end of the last.

Prior to being operated upon by such machines, shoes will frequently have been lasted around the heel end from the heel breast line on one side of the shoe to the heel breast line on the other side. Thus, when the pulling over and lasting operation has been performed upon the shoes by the machine, the forepart and the ball portions of the shoes will have been lasted, leaving only portions on each side of the shank region of the shoe remaining to be lasted. This necessitates a further side `lasting operation and consequently another handling of the shoes.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved pulling and lasting machine which is capable of lasting a shoe from heel breast to heel breast around the forepart of the shoe in one operation thus eliminating the` separate side lasting operation above referred to. In accordance with one feature, the invention provides a machine including a pair of lasting devices arranged to operate at opposite sides of the ball portion of a last supported in the machine and a pair of shank lasting units arranged to operate at opposite sides of the shank portion of the last between the heel breast line and those portions operated upon by the aforesaid ball lasting devices whereby when the forepart of the shoe is simultaneously operated upon by forepart wipers, the complete lasting of the upperttoewardly of the heel breast line is effected. According to another feature of the invention, each of the shank lasting units comprises means for positioning the unit heightwise relatively to the shank portion of the shoe, a pair of grippers for tensioning the upper in the shank region, shank clampingmeans for clamping the upper against the last just prior to its release by the 3,168,752 Patented Feb. 9, 1965 grippers, and a wiper for wiping the portion of the upper released by the grippers over the edge of the insole and pressing it against the shoe bottom;

According to a further feature of the invention each shank lasting unit is rotatably adjustable bodily with respect to the associated ball lasting device about an aXis extending widthwise of the last so that the wiper may be aligned with the slope of the shank portion of the last. This adjustment also causes the grippers to pull the upper substantially normal to said slope.

The above and other features of the invention together with novel details of construction and combinations of parts will now be described with particular reference to the drawings and thereafter will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a left side shank lasting device of the illustrative machine; i

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a View looking in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a Wiper and adjacent parts of the device shown in FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of FIG. 2 with parts broken away to illustrate the mounting and adjusting means for the ball lasting devices.

A typical example of one type of machine to which the embodiment of the present invention may be applied is disclosed in the patent above referred to. Since only those parts of the machine that are particularly pertinent to the present invention are described herein, reference may be had to said patent for a more complete description of the entire machine. As disclosed in said patent but not shown herein, the machine is provided with means for supporting a last L having an insole positioned against the bottom thereof while an upper U is shaped thereon. The machine also includes a plurality of uppertensioning grippers for exerting a gripping action on marginal portions of the upper around the toe and forepart while relative movement between the workupporting means and the grippers causes the upper to be tensioned about the last. The machine further includes toe embracing wipers for wiping the marginal portions of the upper inwardly across the edge of the forepart of the insole, and a pair of ball lasting devices 191 (FIG. 2) arranged to operate respectively at opposite sides of the ball portion of the last. A casing of the left side ball lasting unit which is referred to herein by the numeral corresponds to one of the pair of casings referred` to by the number 412 in said patent.

To fulll the objects of the invention the illustrative machine is provided with a pair of shank lasting units comprising grippers for tensioning the upper, clamps for pressing the upper against the last just prior to its release from the grippers and wipers for thereafter wiping the upper over the edge of the shank portion ofI the insole just toeward of the heel breast line at each side of the shoe. The left side device only will be described in detail, it being understood that the right side device is identical to the one described.

Each ball lasting device includes a ball Wiper lill carried by mechanism 163 for movement widthwise of the shoe on mounting means comprising the casing 100. The casing is adjustable heightwise and lengthwise relative to the ball region of a shoe supported in the machine. The heightwise position of the ball lasting device is adjusted by rotation of a knurled nut (FIG. 5) which moves a rack 107 engaging teeth on arcuate guides 109 formed on the bottom of the casing lil-1l. The` rack and the guides are mounted for movement in a base plate 1.13 which in turn is mounted for adjustment lengthwise 3 of the shoeon. a bracket 115. After adjustment, th plate is secured to the bracket by a bolt having a handle 117. The bracket itself is mounted for further adjustment lengthwise of the shoe in guideways 119 in amain frame portion of the machine. Thus, by these adjustments the disposition of the mounting means for the ball lasting devices may be varied lengthwise and heightwise of the shoe to suit the location of the ball area of the shoe.

For the purpose of adjustably supporting the shank lasting unit the casing u of the ball lasting device has formed on its heelward side a i'shaped slide 1&2 (FlG. 3) on which is slidably mounted an arcuate bracket 1M having a complementary guideway. The bracket is moved laterally of the machine on the slide 1112 by means of a screw 1% which is threaded into the bracket 1114 and has a flange 108 which engages a groove 11@ formed in the slide 102. The bracket 1% is provided with an arcuate ange 112 on which is slidably mounted a trunnion bracket 114 on which the shank lasting unit is pivoted, the bracket 114 being locked in the desired posh 'tion by a screw 116 threaded therein and binding on thev flange 112. AThe trunnion bracket is bifurcated, providing two arms 118, 121i (FIG. 2) which carry a trunnion pin 122. Pivoted on the pin between the arms 113 and 120 is a bifurcated end Vportion ot a supporting arm 124 to which is secured a cylinder block 126. rl'he block 126 is provided with three bores 12S, 13d and 132 which extend laterally ot the machine. The bores 128 and 13) are closed at their left-hand end (as seen in FlG. 1) by a cap 134.

The bore 12S receives a piston 136 having a stern 133 which extends through the cap 13d to abut against the bracket 11d. The opposite end ot the bore 12d is closed by a cap 1.4i? in which is threaded a stop screw 11i-2 protruding into the bore to limit the movement of the piston 136 to the right. By introducing pressure fluid to the bore 128 at the right side of the piston 136 the Vblock 126 will be swung upwardly about the pin 122 and the lasting instrumentalities carried by the block will be raised Vtoan appropriate position relative to the shank portion of the shoe on the last. The upward movement of the block 126 is limited by a shoe bottom engaging member 14d which is pivoted at an intermediate point on a pin 146 secured in a lug 14% formed on the block.'y The right-hand end of the member extends upwardly to form a linger 151i adapted to engage the shank portion of the shoe bottom when the unit is in operative posi tion. The upper end of an adjusting screw 152 threaded in the left-hand end portion of the member 1,44 abuts a face provided on the block 126 to permit adjustment ot the position of the lasting instrumentalities with respect to the lshoe bottom. Y

The bore 13) contains a piston 15d lslidable therein under liuid pressure for operating a wiper 156. The piston 154 extendsfrom the right-hand end of the bore and has formed thereon two lugs d (only one of which is shown in FIG. l) carrying a pin 160, on which is pivoted a bell crank lever 162. A laterally extending arm 164 of the lever has securedV thereto the aforcmentioned wiper 156, and a downwardly extending portion of the lever abuts against a protruding end of a plunger 166 backed by a spring 168 and housed within Vthe end portion of the piston 154. By this means, the wiper,

when advanced into engagement with the shoe bottom as.

hereinafter described, is urged upwardly against the lasting margin of the upper. The wiper 156 (FG. 4) is formedfrom relatively thin spring steel and is slit to provide a plurality of ngers which can individually adjust themselves to the shape of the shank portion of the shoe. When fluid under pressure is introduced into the left-hand end of the bore 130, the piston 154, and consequently the wiper, is moved widthwise towards the shoe. A spring (not shown) acts to return `the piston retracting j the wiper to its original position when the pressure iiuid is connecte-d to exhaust. Rotation of the piston 15d relatively to the bore is prevented by suitable means (not shown). Y

The bore 132 is closed at its left-hand end by a cap 17d secured to the block 126 and contains apiston 172 slidable therein under fluid pressure for operating a clamp adaptedrto press the upper against the shank area of the last when the upper is tensioned as hereinafter described. The piston 172 extends outwardly from the right-hand end of the bore vand is provided with a head 174 on which is slidably secured by an arcuate tongue and groove mounting 176 (FIG. 2) a clamp block 178. The block carries a resilient pad 1S@ appropriately shaped `for engaging the shoe at the area of contact as it swivels to take up an optimum position. A hook 182 carried by the piston 172 extends through a slot in the block 126 preventing rotation of the piston in the bore'132. A spring ld extending from the hook to a pin 186 acts normally to retract the clamp away from the shoe. When pressure iiuid is allowed to enter the left-hand end of the bore 132, the piston is moved to .the right until the pad 130 seats itself on the shoe and clamps thekupper against the last.

Suspended from the blockr126 by a pair of links 188 (one only of which is shown in FIG. l) is a gripper unit 120 comprising a member 192 which is pivotally connected by a stud 19d to the lower ends of the links 188, the upper ends of the links being pivotally connected to the block 126 by screws 196. The member 192 extends to the left of the pivot 194- in the form of an arm 19S which is pivotally connected by a pin- 268 between two lugs 262 provided on a lower closed end portion of a cylinder 264. The cylinder extends upwardly from the pivot 2th? and contains a piston 266 slidable heightwiseY in a bore 2de of the cylinder. A stem 211i of the piston extends upwardly through a cap 212 closing the upper end of the cylinder and through a spring 213.V The upper end of the stem is threaded through the central portion of the pin 122 so that the spring 213 is compressed between the pin 122 and the cap 212. A lock vnut 21d is threaded on the stem above the pin 122 to'bind against a flat 216 on the pin for locking the stem and the pin together in any desired position. A knob 21S xed to the top end of the stern 21@ facilitates rotation of the stern to etlect adjustment ofthe position of the piston 206 relative to the trunnion pin 122 and consequently to adjust the height of the gripper as will. be hereinafter explained.

The right-hand end of the member 192 provides a cap 1% to which is secured a cylinder 22@ having a bore 222 in which a piston 224` slides under the action of pressure fluid introduced to the left end of the cylinder. A stern 226 extends from the piston through an end wall A i of the cylinder and has secured thereto a conical member 22S received between rolls 232 mounted on a pair oi gripper jaws 23d, 236. 'The jaws'have directly opposed serrated gripping surfaces and are pivoted on a stud 238 xed in the end portion of the cylinder 221i. rlChe rolls 23) and 232 are mounted on the jaws 234 and 236 respectively, in suchl positionsthat when pressure uid is allowed to enter the left end of the cylinder the conical member 228 is forced between the rolls and the jaws are closed. A. spring 240 on the stern 226 between the piston and the end wall of the cylinder acts to withdraw the conical surface from engagement with the rolls, and a spring (not shown) between the jaws causes the gripping surfaces to'move apart when the iluidpres- Sure is exhausted. As has been hereinbefore stated, the

initial heightwise position of the gripper may be adjusted or raising the gripper.

by turning thev knob 21S sinceV the upper end of the cylinder 204 when exhausted rests on the piston 266.V

Consequently, raising and lowering of the piston causes the member 192 to move about its pivot 194 thus lowering When the cylinder 264 isV connected to exhaust, the spring Y213 pushes the cylinder position. When pressure fluid is 'down on the piston and raises the grippers to the adjusted admitted above the piston, the cylinder is raised and the gripper moves downward to exert a pull on the upper.

In operation the illustrative machine follows generally the cycle of the machine described in the aforementioned patent as far as the movement of the side clamps associated with the ball lasting device into engagement with the shoe, it being assumed that the operator will have made such adjustments to the machine as are necessary to suit it to the particular size and style of the shoes to be operated upon. In addition to the adjustments referred to in said patent, the operator will, if necessary, (a) adjust the shank lasting devices widthwise of the machine by means of the screws 106, (b) adjust the screws `152 to determine the heightwise position of the devices on engagement of the fingers b with the shoe bottoms, (c) adjust the trunnion brackets 114 about the arcuate anges 112 to bring the general plane of the wipers 156 parallel to theshank portions of the shoe bottom which they will engage, and (d) adjust the heightwise positions of the gripper paws 234, 236 by rotating the knobs 218 as above referred to. The positions of the shank lasting devices lengthwise of the shoe will have been determined by the previous adjustment of the ball lasting units as above described. Pressure fluid is then allowed to enter the bores 128 to raise the shank lasting units generally normal to the slope of the shank portion of the shoe until arrested by engagement of the fingers t5@ with the shoe bottom. The open grippers are then in position to grip the marginal portions of the upper, and pressure iuid is allowed to enter cylinders 22) `causing the gripper jaws to close and grip the upper. At this point pressure uid is admitted to the cylinders 264 to cause the grippers to move downward generally normal to the shank bottom to tension the upper about the shank portion of the last. This is followed by the movement of the shank clamps llSil into pressing engagement with the shoe due to the admission of pressure duid to the bores 132. The cylinders 22d are then opened to exhaust, allowing the gripper jaws to open and release the upper so that the Wipers 156 on admission of pressure iluid to the bores 13) can move in concurrently with the moving in of the ball wipers itil to wipe the upper material in the shank and ball regions over the insole and press it thereagainst. The remainder of the cycle of the machine then continues as described in the aforementioned patent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, said machine having ball lasting devices at opposite sides of a last supported in said machine, individual mounting means on which each of said devices is movable widthwise of a last for wiping an upper over the ball region of the last bottom, and means for individually adjusting each mounting means to position its associated deviceheightof the last for aligning the wiper with the slope of the shank area of the last bottom.

2. A machine according to claim l in which each shank lasting unit is carried by its associated mounting means for movement `generally normal to the slope of the shank portion of the last as determined by the rotative adjustment of said unit, a linger extending from said unit and engageable with said slope to determine the extent of movement of said unit for positioning said wiper heightwise relative to said slope.

3. A machine according to claim 2 including means for adjusting said linger heightwise relative to said unit for varying the position of the wiper relative to said slope.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in which each of said shank lasting units also includes grippers for pulling the shank portion of the upper generally normal to the plane of operation of the Wipers and whereby the rotative adjustment of each unit also causes the direction of pull of the grippers to be substantially normal to the slope of the shank portion of the last bottom. t

5. A machine accordingrto claim 2 in which each of said shank lasting units also includes grippers for pulling the shank portion of the upper generally normal to the plane of operation of the wipers and whereby the rotative adjustment of each unit also causes the direction of pull o the grippers to be substantially normal to the slope ofthe shank portion of the last bottom.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which adjusting means are provided in each unit for varying the initial heightwise position of the grippers relative to said finger for determining the amount of the upper margin to be seized by said grippers before pulling.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS, SAID MACHINE HAVING BALL LASTING DEVICES AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF A LAST SUPPORTED IN SAID MACHINE, INDIVIDUAL MOUNTING MEANS ON WHICH EACH OF SAID DEVICES IS MOVABLE WIDTHWISE OF A LAST FOR WIPING AN UPPER OVER THE BALL REGION OF THE LAST BOTTOM, AND MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTING EACH MOUNTING MEANS TO POSITION ITS ASSOCIATED DEVICE HEIGHTWISE AND LENGTHWISE RELATIVE TO SAID BALL REGION OF THE LAST, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: A PAIR OF SHANK LASTING UNITS EACH INDIVIDUALLY CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID MOUNTING MEANS SO AS TO MAINTAIN A PREDETERMINED RELATION TO SAID DEVICES, EACH UNIT COMPRISING A WIPER FOR WIPING THE UPPER OVER THE SHANK PORTION OF THE LAST BOTTOM, AND MEANS FOR ROTATABLY ADJUSTING EACH UNIT RELATIVE TO ITS ASSOCIATED MOUNTING MEANS ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING GENERALLY WIDTHWISE OF THE LAST FOR ALIGNING THE WIPER WITH THE SLOPE OF THE SHANK AREA OF THE LAST BOTTOM. 